Castiel had always been bad at the part of hunting that required him to have conversations with others- though he had gotten better with time- and yet he had no idea how this would go. He had never had conversations where he wasn't pretending to be human to start- and some sort of authority after that. (Though he supposed, depending on what you considered his level in the garrison at the moment he still technically had authority. It was just a higher authority than any of those on Earth.)

He had heard of this fellow- a kind man who knew magic, including magic that was relevant to portals. Cas figured that though Dean may have no complaints about him staying, the angel still needed to find a way back to his own time- if only so that he could return if he was required. He sat on a bench in the borough of his particular target for the day- the angel had time after all.

He also figured he was more likely to run into the fellow here where neither of his lookalikes lived or ventured into every day. Castiel's patience was rewarded as only three hours later, the very same man he was looking for shambled down the road. Standing up abruptly he went to speak to him.

"Excuse me. I've heard you are a magician. My name is Castiel- I am an Angel of the Lord. And I was wondering if you could help me with a curse that was cast on me."

Christian tended to avoid the more densely populated boroughs unless he needed to be there for something. The one he hailed from, which looked like a more peaceful Gotham meshed quietly with a gentle Central City and his old school from Georgia, was one of the least crowded places in Hub. And while he wasn't the greatest fan of sticking around it, he did often find himself wandering through his home borough to eat a quiet lunch in the park or just sit on one of the benches there and think.

So far that he knew of, it was only him, Safi, Jim, Belle, and Thea here, and that made this area of Hub a little safe. Especially considering that he personally knew each of them personally, and Belle and Jim were family.

There were the ghosts, too, of course, but while Christian recognized people he knew, or had seen in both Central and Gotham, he didn't usually approach them. Sure, he waved to Edward when the huge man passed him, or gave Miss Mercy a polite nod, but Chris didn't interact as he might have with the ‘real’ versions of them at home.

When a man stood from a nearby bench along the sidewalk, Chris didn't really think much of it until the man was in the sidewalk, blocking Christian’s path. That definitely gave the small man pause; Chris would prefer to run than to fight.

"Excuse me. I've heard you are a magician. My name is Castiel- I am an Angel of the Lord. And I was wondering if you could help me with a curse that was cast on me."

Wait...What?

Chris blinked almost blankly at Castiel, disbelief evident in how little he reacted. He had met plenty of very crazy people in both Gotham and Central, but none who had known he was a magician or had asked for his help. Especially in the magic capacity. So…. yeah.

Chris did believe in angels. He believed in God, and he had been raised in the Southern Baptist culture. He believed. But he was also practical, and knew that mental illness was the more likely cause of Castiel’s claim. “I’m…. Not entirely certain that I can help you how you need. What kind of curse is this?” He would not, could not, simply brush Castiel’s request for help aside. And Chris could not dismiss the claim entirely, either. He had met Iron Man and Captain America here in Hub, after all. An angel was totally possible. But he wasn't going to just assume it was true, either.

Castiel nodded acknowledgement to the man speaking to him- but the angel was fully capable of seeing the disbelief in the other man's eyes. With a nod he straightened up slightly and pulled his angelic mojo out to see. His eyes started glowing blue- his everything started generally glowing- and his burned and torn wings spread in shadows behind him along the ground. "Do you believe me now?" He asked quietly. With a deep breath he sucked the energy back in before he did damage to the magician's eyes.

Feeling strangely weak having pulled on the vestiges of his grace like that, Castiel stumbled back over to the bench he had been sitting on. He found it likely that he had intrigued the other man enough that he would follow him over to where the angel had unceremoniously plopped down. He flipped his coat out from underneath him rather than sitting on it.

Speaking gravely he explained. "I believe it's called an attack dog curse- it makes the cursed go rabid and attack anyone who the caster tells them to. For an angel, the spell continues to work it's way deeper as they become unable to differentiate between threats and innocents and go entirely rabid." Cas said staring at his hands, leaning forward on his knees. Eventually he looks up at Chris with a sigh.

"I don't expect you to necessarily have a way to help me. Rather I'm enacting a sort of no stone unturned policy for me right now."

While Chris was an honest-to-goodness faithful man, he was practical, and he knew better than to just buy into the whole ‘I’m an angel’ thing as well as the ‘I’m an alien’ thing, because that was a thing, but it didn’t mean that every claimant was telling the truth, either. So yes, faithful, but less than gullible.

Right up until the guy started to glow and he had shadowy wings behind him and…

And holy cow the man was an angel. A real, honest-to-goodness, actual Angel of the Lord and wasn’t that just something? No, not something, that was all the things. Every last one of them. Christian’s eyes went as big as saucers and he stared at the ground where the shadows of Castiel’s wings had been. A real Angel. A real one.

What had he said his name was?

Castiel. He’d introduced himself as Castiel, an Angel of the Lord. Castiel was… The Angel of Tears, Saturn, and…

And he was the Angel of Temperance.

Christian could feel his stomach churn, excitement and terror warring with each other in there. The Angel of Temperance, and Chris had drawn the Temperance card not all that long ago from Miss Zatara’s tarot deck.

And he’d drawn the Lovers card, too, as what he wished for, and wasn’t that terribly accurate, too? Chris blinked slowly, then moved quickly to where Castiel had stumbled over and sat on the bench, frowning at the man - no, the angel - as he considered what the angel was telling him. “I believe you.” Christian nodded rapidly, with enough force to hurt his head, “I do.”

An attack dog curse. The Angel of Temperance was asking for help to break this curse before he became… Rabid. “I’ll do everything I can. I can look up everything I can. And worst case scenario, I can… My magic, my speciality, the thing I’m best at, is sympathetic magic. I can try that if I can’t find any other ways to help you. I’ll rid you of your curse.” One way or another, Christian couldn’t promise, but he could make it his whole life until it happened.

Or until Castiel succumbed to the curse and murdered him. But Chris was really hoping that wouldn’t happen. “Consider your policy my policy. I will look everywhere for a cure.”

Castiel had watched with interest as the magician's eyes went wide. That implied he trusted Cas's claim instead of assuming some sort of illusion- Good. He could probably prove it had it been required but considering how tired he was as it is- it seemed for the best that this man could trust in angels.

He gave a tired but grateful smile when this belief was confirmed out loud. "Thank you." He offered softly as he looked at Christian. Castiel was slightly surprised by the man's overwhelmingly enthusiastic offer- wondering if he had somehow missed part of the conversation- but that surprise was cut off as he moved to cut the magician off.

"I appreciate the offer but not only have I lived eons longer than you but this particular curse would liquefy your brain in less than an hour." He explained before wondering whether he should have worded that more delicately. Castiel wasn't certain how to politely word the topic of brain melting. He offered a shrug he had learned from the Winchesters.

"It is also not immediately pressing since I am cut off from the source of the course's power and it has let me free for the time being. It is simply that I wish to find an answer before I attempt to return to my own time again." He explained bluntly, not bothering to dance around the intricacies of his position in the hub. "I just want to be able to help Dean- And Sam." Castiel explained, forgetting for a moment to mention the taller brother- not that it would matter since he doubted the other man would recognize the name.

There was magic in the world, and Christian knew it. So yes, it was possible that Castiel could be pretending, that his show of wings and power was an illusion. But Christian was a magician, if not a very learned one, and he could sense magic at work, and that.. Was not exactly what this was.

So yeah. Angels. Christian had grown up religious, and while he wasn’t one to hold to the religion, he retained his Faith. Angels were something that were, for Chris, very possible. Very real.

Hearing Castiel’s plight, it was horrible! A curse to make you attack someone else on cue, and worse than that, it would drive him insane… That wasn’t something that should be able to be done to an Angel… They were… Holy. Sacred. Close to God.

Castiel’s blunt statement was met with an arched brow from Christian. He hadn’t actually offered to take the curse on himself, but… He would, if it would save Castiel. Because Castiel was an angel. “Uh huh.” Chris shrugged, “Look, it’s not exactly a tempting thing… Not tempting at all, in any way, actually. Like, I’d rather eat straight fondant, without even cake to wash it down… And for sure I’d like to exhaust every other avenue and idea possible; there’s a lot of magic out there, and a lot of ways to use it, and somewhere out there, there’s a way to get rid of your curse. And we happen to be in a convergence of universes, which means we have access to resources and knowledge that we, or I at least, would not have otherwise had.” Christian offered Castiel a smile, “So brain melting is a last ditch emergency plan.”

He grew more serious, nodding, “Look, better me than you, so… Like you just said, you have people to help. So I’m happy to research and try things until we find what we need.” Or until it became a thing and Castiel had no other viable options.

Castiel's brows furrowed as the other man nonchalantly ignored the danger to himself. The angel simply didn't understand- and opened his mouth to voice such concerns. "You are one of my father's precious creations- He built you in his image. I am nothing but a toy soldier built for your defense." Cas offered quietly putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. The angel shook his head slightly. "I could not forgive myself if I allowed you to die in my place- when this curse is not even guaranteed to do lasting damage to me."

Dropping his hand back down to his own lap he clasped it together with his other one and ducked his head in a nod that he had more to say. "I-" He frowned slightly, trying to figure out the best way to word his misdoings. "I have been the death of many of my brethren. I may be an angel, but I am replaceable. I am simply one of many even among my garrison." Castiel offered quietly- despite knowing in his heart of hearts that it wasn't true. Castiel may not be replaceable- but it was not necessarily a bad thing. Cas wasn't sure how much 'Good' he had done in the world. At times it seemed like his existence did much more harm than anything.

Shaking his head free of the dark thoughts he sighed at himself. Castiel allowed a small smile to replace his frown- a thing he learned from humans 'Fake it 'til you make it.'

"Thank you." Castiel offered quietly. "There is a person-people- that I feel a need to protect."

It wasn’t like Christian didn’t have any sense of self preservation. He did. He really, honestly did. But he was also willing and able to be self sacrificing for others. “We are both two of our Father’s creations. You-” Chris stopped to blink at Castiel, “You’re an angel!” Seriously, were angels all like this? Did they all think to put humanity over themselves? “I’m one of billions, just on my planet, in my reality. And being a soldier… You should appreciate the fact that I’m… Really not. I’m just a PA. I don’t do anything great, I don’t fight bad guys or protect other people. I just… Put together parties and make sure people who are more important to the company than I am have and keep to their schedules. And fetch coffee and dry cleaning. Answer the phone.” He shrugged, “And I think going insane will cause lasting damage, Castiel.” Maybe he’d get over it physically, get his mind back, but even if he did, it was going to have lasting effects.

Christian frowned at Castiel’s words. “So…” He was trying to wrap his head around what the angel was saying. “We already discussed this I think. One of how many? More than billions? Are there really billions of angels in heaven?” He shifted, uncomfortable at the questions such a thought brought to mind. Questions that he had no right to ask. He watched Castiel carefully, frowning as he did. “No one is replaceable, Castiel. Just some people are less unique than others. Pretty sure that goes for angels, too.”

Good was relative. Good was… Difficult. Fake it till you make it. Yeah, Chris knew a little bit about that. He was often faking his happiness, his friendliness. He was a lonely man with few friends and a lot of trust issues, but people didn’t know that. A person? “They’re lucky. Your person. People.” Christian turned his gaze away, looking out into the middle distance, losing himself for a moment, “It’s nice to be protected, but it makes you worry. About the person who feels so obligated to protect you. About what might happen to them. About whether you’re worth protecting.”

Castiel sighed and shrugged his shoulders slightly. "Soldiers are supposed to protect those who do not fight. Regardless of how important some might feel they are." He glanced at Christian. "If there is nothing left for a soldier to protect, then what is the soldier for?" He would have been content to muse for a while longer, but Christian made some remark about not recovering from insanity and Castiel found himself chuckling softly.

"I beg to differ." He offered softly. "I took my friend's insanity on to myself at one point- and I believe the worst that happened was that I ended up nude and covered with honey on a friend's car. I have since recovered." He explained, though Castiel felt a small warmth creep up his neck- as the full weight of said action set in on him and he recalled the expression on Dean's face.

Castiel could also see that Christian had more questions than simply how mcny angels there were. "The number is hard to pin down- with recent events- but that's not the question you want to ask- is it?" He glanced at the man at his side. "You need not hold back."

He watched Christian as he replied- noticing the other man had caught his slip of the tongue, Castiel stopped trying to deny it. "My person- and his brother- feel the need to protect the whole world- to give me more chances than I deserved- so I understand the feeling of the one who is protected. It is part of the reason why I-" love him. Castiel swallowed and corrected himself before the words fell out of his mouth. "Feel the need to protect them in turn."

“Sure, but if all the soldiers die, then it leaves the non-combatants open like sitting ducks.” It was true enough, wasn’t it? Chris disliked the idea of anyone having to get hurt, but he’d rather it be him than Safi or Castiel. An actual, real angel. That was.. Incredible. Just incredible.

Chris looked at Castiel, blinked, and then tipped his head to the side slightly, “And ending up nude and covered with honey on your friend’s car didn’t leave a lasting impression on you or your friend?” He wasn’t speaking about physically, but rather emotionally speaking? Yeah, if he ended up on his best friend’s car naked and covered in honey? Well, Chris didn’t have many friends, and his ‘best’ ones were… He didn’t think Jaya even owned a car, and Safi… Oh god. Safi. He blinked, then blushed at the idea of that and the mess it would lead to before he shook his head, “Because, uh, it would definitely leave an impression with me and the people I know.”

The questions that Christian had were… Bad.

Blasphemous, really, if you got down to it.

Because you really weren’t supposed to question God and heaven, right?

He winced at the accusation that the question wasn’t the one he wanted to ask, because no, it wasn’t. And apparently Castiel knew it. He looked down, shaking his head slowly, “Oh, no, pretty sure not asking is a good thing… It’s not…” He looked up, “If there’s so many angels, Castiel, then why don’t you help? Why don’t people see you? I mean…” he took in a deep breath, “I don’t mean to question, I don’t, because I know I probably won’t understand whatever the answer is, but… I pray, every night. And I know we need to take care of ourselves, but sometimes.. It would give a lot of people an awful lot of hope, to see angels in the world.”

Castiel shrugged slightly. "In the end it is a theoretical discussion- I have a few avenues of inquiry to chase before it could even possibly come to that." He responded lightly, purposely holding back that those avenues involved the woman who originally cast the spell on him and his brother Lucifer. That seemed like something that would bring some doubt onto Castiel's own nature-and he had no desire to do so.

The angel pondered the question for a minute before shaking his head lightly. "We have seen much too many strange things to be fazed dramatically by that event- and he is not interested in me past friendship so I imagine he has fully put it out of his head." Cas replied, grateful for the collar of his shirt that obscured the red of his neck that showed it had fazed him at least quite a bit. "I myself have been human, a young girl, and I believe he told me of one potential future in which I became some sort of 'love guru'." He offered with a shrug, mentally compiling a list of much stranger things that had happened to them in the past.

He sighed slightly when Chris gave his question. Castiel didn't even know how to answer that- even after all these many years. "I will preface my reply that I do not know the situation in your world." He started slowly, folding his hands together and leaning forwards slightly. "So the things I say may not be true for your home. But in my world- You could count on two hands the amount of angels that had met God. Now you can count that number on one hand." Cas said softly- hating that he did not have a more hopeful answer for this man. "Faith is not believing in something when there is concrete proof- it is believing it despite a lack of proof. My siblings and I- We have faith in our father. We can only do our best to inspire faith in his favourite creations."

Glancing at Chris, Cas offered a small smile to the man. "I have asked the same questions. But to know there is great good in the world- is to know that there is great evil in the world. The few who know of us are those who seek to protect others from that evil- usually because they have been hurt by it themselves. Otherwise, we do our best but there is only so much that can be done. If you knew angels intervened on Earth- would your first question not be 'Then why do bad things still happen?' " Cas explained softly. "We do our best- we are not infallible, and we do not wish to strip away your free will. Unfortunately that also includes the free will to hurt yourself and others."

Other avenues. Sure. But if Christian could find a way to free Castiel of his curse, then he would do it. For Chris it wasn’t even all that much of a choice; he had so little he could really do here, so little that was of use to anyone else, if he could help just one person, if he could read and research something and make himself useful for them, then that was a good reason to have found Hub. It was a reason why he could stand being here. It would feel as though he had a grasp on his own life instead of just following someone else along. Chris wanted and needed so much to be able to help, and the idea of being able to help an angel was almost too much.

Wow. Naked in honey on a car. That was… Just wow. And neither of them had been dramatically (or traumatically) fazed by that? When Cas mentioned that his person had no interest other than friendship with him, it struck Christian far too close to home and the man flinched, just a small movement. He looked down at his feet even as he felt his cheeks heat in a quiet blush. Would Safi do that? Weird and strange had begun to populate their life with a frequency that was startling; if something like that had happened with them, would Safi simply just put it out of his mind and forget about it? It was possible. It might even be probable. Safi wasn’t interested in Christian like that; he would probably send him to clean up and never think much on it.

Christian would find it humiliating and horrible, though. And uncomfortable. “Yeah, I guess that maybe if you see enough weird, weird stops bothering you so much and you just don’t think about it anymore.” He gave Cas a small smile at the idea of him being a little girl or a love guru. “Sounds like you live a very busy life.”

Great good and great evil. The smile that Christian gave Castiel was a sad and broken one; “I look around my world, Castiel, and I know there is great evil in it. I can see it, every day. But great good? Even our capes aren’t always all that ‘good’ sometimes. It’s a whole lot easier to believe in the devil than it is to believe in angels sometimes.” Harder to believe in the good, because it was so...muted. But Christian had faith, he believed, even if it was hard to sometimes, his faith was steadfast. “I knew there were demons. I’ve seen them…” He looked at Castiel, his eyes sad, “But before today, I’d never met an angel. It… It’s nice to know. I believed before, but knowing… It gives me hope. Maybe that doesn’t make sense. It’s one thing to believe in god and heaven, but it’s something else to know that not only are angels real, but they’re there. That we can fight, and maybe, just maybe, we can win.” He shrugged, “I’m grateful for my free will. I don’t mind making mistakes and having to learn things the hard way sometimes. But like I said, the evil in the world isn’t hiding, Castiel.”

Cas chuckled slightly at the comment. "Yes I suppose we have had quite a number of adventures." He replied, torn between amusement and frustration at that fact. He wished that he had more happy memories and less bitter ones. And more potential for good ones- but his future was sorely lacking in that department.

Cas put his hand on Chris' shoulder with a light squeeze the way Dean or Sam would to comfort each other- or Cas himself. "Dean- my- ah- person- has said in the past- this is a quote 'Angels are dicks.' He did not take my explanation of my military nature as a valid reason for that. He has also called me a 'holy tax accountant.' " He offered with a shrug, wondering whether alcohol was the appropriate response to offer in this situation and vaguely wishing he had Bobby's old flask on him.

Cas sat there awkwardly for a moment, not entirely certain what else to say. "I wish I had more to say that might assuage your worries but we- angels- are a complete mess. We have killed more of each other than any Demons have. Likewise, Demons kill more demons than anyone else does." He said before letting his thought trail off.

Adventures. In one sense, that sort of idea appealed to Christian; that part of him that had grown up reading about superheroes, who wanted to help save the world, thought that adventures seemed the perfect way to do exactly that. But Christian wasn’t a ten year old boy anymore, and hadn’t been in a long time. He knew that adventures also meant being in danger and hurting other people, and while danger was just a fact of life, hurting people wasn’t, not for Chris. Oh, he understood that other people hurt each other, some for good reasons, some for bad or selfish reasons. Heroes often as not were just as violent as the criminals they worked against, but for Christian, the idea of harming another person was one his mind shied away from.

As for happy memories, he had plenty of those, but he had just as many bitter or outright bad ones. Life was peppered with both, with a whole lot of quiet, mundane, or just ‘eh’ moments in between.

Castiel’s person. Christian wanted very much to meet this Dean person, because Castiel cared very much for him, that much was evident. Angels are dicks. Chris actually chuckled at the statement, “Well, if angels are like you, Castiel, then your Dean was very, very wrong.” Military and accounting? Those things didn’t really seem like things that would go together so much. “Well…” He considered the comment, his head tipping to the side slightly as he thought, “I can see angels being a little bit militant…” Chris spoke the words with a small nod, “I mean, you’re warriors of God, right? Sure, people refer to ranks of angels as choirs, but we also routinely talk about you as an army. And we have all these expectations of you to fight against demons and the devil…” He frowned, “We have a lot of expectations of angels. That’s not really fair.”

Okay, so Castiel was… Well, he was sweet and lovely, that’s what he was. Sort of what you’d want in an angel! Christian smiled, and then chuckled before shaking his head, “Well, maybe angels are a mess, but no more than humans, Cas.” He nodded as the angel explained that angels killed more of themselves than anything, and demons kill more demons than anyone else, and… “Humans kill more humans than anyone else does?” He wasn’t entirely certain, but frankly, he sounded hopeful. Because being afraid of other people was something that Christian was very familiar with. Demons were a new and all the more terrifying fear.

Cas quieted slightly- a little flustered at the compliment. "I am atypical for angels. My brother once told me that I 'had been God more times than dad had' so it's safe to say that the other angels are not like me no."

He sat up straighter when the other man acknowledged the militant nature of angels. "Yes that is true- but you need not worry. Angels do not have souls as humans do- even Demons have more souls than we do. There is a reason why the worst of the evil lot is an angel. By nature we are little more than automatons. We play at free will- but those of us who understand it are the ones who have rebelled." He stretched out a wing again for Chris to see the shadow.

"You will note that my feathers and flesh have been burned off by my fall." He offered stoically- certain that now this kind man would want nothing more to do with him. Cas was persona non grata amongst his own kind after all.

He nodded in quiet assent- before his mind processed the concern in Chris' voice. "Until Lucifer was released- the King of Hell was also known as the king of the crossroads. With the exception of rogue demons such as the princes of hell- demons did not kill unless the person had sold their soul. They however often kill each other in pursuit of power." Cas set his hand softly on the magician's shoulder. "Trust me- any magician would know if Lucifer had returned in your world. If you have not sensed that- then you have nothing to fear so long as you do not get involved with them."

Atypical for angels. Christian beamed a smile at Castiel, “Well, we’re quite a pair, aren’t we? I’m downright weird for a human!” It was true, and Christian had been reminded of that fact over and over again growing up, and even as an adult. But that was okay; he was who he was, and he was good with who he was. A little bit flamboyant, a little bit boyish, a little bit magical, and a whole lot weird. There were always going to be things he wished he could change, like how often he blushed and how odd he came off, but a person without their faults wasn’t a person anymore.

When Castiel said that angels didn’t have souls, Christian frowned. Automatons. Christian shifted uncomfortably, watching Castiel, “Automatons can be people, too, Castiel…” The sight of Cas’ damaged wing, even just the shadow of it, earned a gasp, and so unlike what Castiel had been expecting, Christian moved to hug the angel, the thought to leave, to abandon this new friend never even occurring to him. “That has to be so painful, Castiel.” He frowned, “There’s no way to heal it? Nothing you can do? Nothing anyone can? God… Won’t forgive you?” Christian had been taught that god could be punishing, yes, but he was also forgiving, that he loved all of his creations, and God had made the angels just as certainly as he had made humanity…

Until Lucifer was released. The Apocalypse, the end of days. The Reckoning. Christian winced at the statement, said in the past tense. But Castiel said that they would know if that had happened in his world. “I’m pretty new to magic, but I’ve met a demon, and defeated him, with help. And I definitely don’t know that Lucifer has returned in my world. I pray not. Things are bad enough without his help.” Chris gave Cas a small smile, “I have no interest in having anything to do with demons. They’re terrifying.”

Castiel found himself smiling despite himself. "You would like my friends- they are also atypical- they run towards danger instead of away from it." Cas had once thought himself average- he had since learned better. He had been human- he had been god- angel, seraphim, dead, He'd done the whole selection- and they had all made their marks on who he was. He found that nowadays he was rather fond of the things that set him apart- that made him different.

Cas ducked his head in acknowledgement of Chris' point. "That is true enough I suppose- I was human for a while. It was- not wholly unpleasant- though rather distressing at first." He froze for a moment as he was hugged before returning the gesture of affection. Yes, Cas thought, he'd be spending more time with this human.

"It was painful- at first. I am afraid I don't have much feeling in them anymore. As for God- I've never met him. So I wouldn't know. I'm not one of the ones with whom he has spoken. He is my father- but I imagine ever since I went off the- ah- 'script' and helped my friends prevent the apocalypse, that he may not be pleased with me. He may forgive me- in the future. But being immortal, he has no need to let me off that easily." He replied, holding back his own lack of faith in the man. There were so many horrible things that had happened- and his father stayed away- it was harder to believe, each passing day, that his father lived.

He knew his aunt did- but he felt like it would do little to assuage Chris's fears to be told there was a literal being named the darkness who wished to destroy all that was light and good.

He smiled at the magician and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Then I assure you, you are quite safe." Especially so, now that he had an angel for a friend.

Being weird was supposed to be a negative thing. Chris liked it, though. Trying to fit in had never worked for him, not as well as he would have liked. Still… “Well, I’m not sure I’d be described as running toward danger, but I don’t do the smart thing and run away, either. Gets me into trouble with my… Uh… Safi. But he runs toward danger sometimes, too, so I don’t think he has a lot of room to be too upset.” Chris grinned widely when he spoke of Safi; of course he did. Safi was his friend, but he was much more than that to the man, too.

Castiel had been human for a while. Wow. “What was distressing about it?” Knowing you could die? Maybe, but Cas had said that angels killed each other, which meant they could die anyway, right? “I’m glad you didn’t hate it, at least!” Christian only had experience with being human, of course, so he couldn’t really relate to the idea of becoming something else, like an angel. Chris hugged the angel to comfort him. He did so without reservation or hesitation, giving this bit of himself freely and happily.

The explanation that it had indeed hurt, but that Castiel didn’t feel much of anything in them anymore earned a wince and a frown from Chris. What he was hearing was… It was horrible. “Easily? The apocalypse is… How is stopping something like that a bad thing, Castiel? What you did was the right thing, you saved people, God’s creations, how is that… Have you had anyone try to heal you?” Christian’s mind was awhirl with how he could best use his magic to heal Castiel. Healing spells were the easiest for him, and he thought himself fairly good at them… He’d helped Belle with her gunshot… A poppet didn’t have to have a whole lot of likeness to the person it was meant to represent as long as Christian could make the connection clearly in his mind. He hadn’t tried really using something so simple yet, but he was confident that he wouldn’t make a mess of it if he tried it. “I could try, if you’d like. I’ve never tried healing an angel before, but healing magic is something I’m good at.”

Telling Christian that there was a being out there who wished nothing more than to destroy all of the good and light would be horrifying for the man. Christian knew about the devil, sure, but he did his best to avoid such thoughts. They were so negative, and Christian worked hard to stay as positive as possible. Safe. Chris offered Castiel a smile, “Thanks. I know things like demons are out there, but letting it frighten me into doing nothing would just be another form of letting them win. Safe or not, I’m here, and I like it here.” He would free Castiel from his curse, and he’d do his damnedest to heal his wings, too!

Cas smiled softly at this new friend of his. "Seems like you care quite a bit about this 'Safi'" He managed to offer, releasing how unhelpful a reply that was- it was hardly likely to push the conversation along- but it was all the angel had to offer at that moment.

He gave a small chuckle at the confused question. "Humans experience emotions much more strongly than angels do. Or at least- as they used to. So it was distressing because I was suddenly on earth, stranded, no money, no food, my clothes were bloodstained- and I was quite overwhelmed." He explained. "I didn't dislike being human- but I was stressed by it."

He rubbed his forehead lightly, trying to come up with the best way to make Chris understand why stopping the apocalypse had been a bad thing. "Imagine your family has been fighting for as long as you can remember- and you know that the fight has to end with one of them winning. I stopped that final fight from happening- and now my father's two favourite sons are left in a sort of permanent discord. You can understand how he would want that to be over- and I helped prevent that."

"As for someone trying to heal my wings... All of the archangels in my world are either dead or imprisoned- of those on the side of Heaven- I am among the strongest. There is no one around who is strong enough to heal me anymore. I appreciate the offer- but I am coming to terms with it. There are certain simple pleasures that I am exposed to now- such as listening to music while you drive"

Cas smiled at Chris. "I am glad to hear that. Would you like to go and get a cup of coffee and continue chatting?"

There was no help for it; Christian blushed, the tips of his ears going pink, then red before spreading out, reaching down past his collar. "I... Uh... Yes. I do. Care for him. Quite a bit." Chris looked down, away from the angel; he cared too much. More than was welcomed. He took a moment to compose himself before he looked back up at Castiel, "He's sort of my person. I mean, he's not mine, but he's..." Something. "We're friends."

Christian considered what Castiel said about being human, about being overwhelmed, about being stressed, and how strongly humans felt emotions. Yeah. Some emotions were better, easier, and nicer than others, too. "I'm sorry you were overwhelmed, but I'm glad you didn't dislike it, too. For us, or at least for me, stress is just a part of life. A daily thing."

Imagine your family. Chris frowned slightly, the only family he had was Belle... But he tried nonetheless. ''A familial dispute shouldn't have to end in the Apocalypse, though, Cas. Winning a fight with your sibling shouldn't require genocide." It wasn't exactly admonishment in Christian's voice that accompanied his fear, it was something akin to horror. He loved Belle; he couldn't imagine any fight being... Anything like that. Frowning, Chris considered Castiel's wings, "I suppose it wouldn't be like healing an injury or illness?" That would probably be too easy...

A cup of coffee? Chris grinned, "Coffee sounds good. And maybe a snack." He motioned toward the Bazaar. "I know a few good places, unless you have somewhere in mind."